James Preller

American novelist

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James Preller (born February 1, 1961) is an American writer of children's books including Bystander, Six Innings, and the Jigsaw Jones Mysteries.

He grew up in Wantagh, New York and went to college in Oneonta, New York. After graduating from college in 1983, he worked as a waiter for one year before being hired as a copywriter by Scholastic Corporation. "Meeting" many notable children's writers through their books, he was inspired to try writing himself. His first book, MAXX TRAX: Avalanche Rescue, was published in 1986. Since then Preller has written a variety of books, some under pen names including Mitzy Kafka, James Patrick, Kirk Franklin, Millie Vanilli, Deputy Dad, Captain Croonch, Meester Mundle, Garlic, and Izzy Bonkers. He lives in Delmar, New York, with his wife Lisa and their three children, Nicholas, Gavin, and Maggie.

Preller up stories when he was young and sold them to friends, family, and neighbors. At that time, however, he planned to become a baseball player for the New York Mets.

Published books

Novels

The Fox and the Hound, Scholastic, 1988
The Iron Giant: A Novelization, Scholastic, 1999
Six Innings (2008)
Along Came Spider (2008)
Bystander (2009)
Justin Fisher Declares War!, Scholastic, 2010
Before You Go, Feiwel & Friends, 2012
The Fall (2015)
The Courage Test (2016)
Better Off Undead, Feiwel & Friends, 2017
Blood Mountain, Feiwel & Friends, 2019
Upstander (2021)

Scary Tales

Published by Feiwel & Friends.

Home Sweet Horror, 2013
I Scream, You Scream!, 2013
Good Night, Zombie, 2013
Nightmareland, 2014
One-Eyed Doll, 2014
Swamp Monster, 2015

Jigsaw Jones

Published by Scholastic Corporation.

The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster
The Case of the Christmas Snowman
The Case of the Secret Valentine
The Case of the Spooky Sleepover
The Case of the Stolen Baseball Cards
The Case of the Mummy Mystery
The Case of the Runaway Dog
The Case of the Great Sled Race
The Case of the Magic Ground Wart
The Case of the Stinky Science Project
The Case of the Ghostwriter
The Case of the Stinky Vase
The Case of the Marshmallow Monster
The Case of the Class Clown
The Case of the Lunch Lady and Mr. Lemon
The Case of the Detective in Disguise
The Case of the Bicycle Bandit
The Case of the Tic Tacs in Mom’s Bedside Table
The Case of the Haunted Scarecrow
The Case of the Sneaker Sneak
The Case of the Disappearing Dinosaur
The Case of the Missing Jigsaw Puzzle Pieces
The Case of the Bear Scare
The Case of the Golden Key
The Case of the Race Against Time
The Case of the Rainy Day Mystery
The Case of the Summer Sausage
The Case of the Best Pet Ever
The Case of the Perfect Prank
The Case of the Glow-in-the-Dark Ghost
The Case of the Vanishing Painting
The Case of the Double Trouble Detectives
The Case of the Frog-Jumping Contest
The Case of the Food Fight
The Case of the Skateboarding Superstar
The Case of the Kidnapped Candy
The Case of the Missing Case of Dad’s Soda
The Case of the Spoiled Rotten Spy
The Case of the Groaning Ghost
The Case of the Hat Burglar

Picture books

Title	Publication date	Publisher
Big Top Pee-wee: Pee-wee and the Circus	1988	Scholastic
Wake Me in Spring	1994	Scholastic
Hiccups for Elephant	1995	Scholastic
Space Jam	1996	Scholastic
Godzilla	1998	Scholastic
Ghost Cat and Other Spooky Tales	2007	Scholastic
Along Came Spider	2008	Scholastic
Six Innings	2008	Square Fish
Bystander	2009	Square Fish
Mighty Casey	2009	Feiwel & Friends
A Pirate's Guide to First Grade	2010	Feiwel & Friends
A Pirate's Guide to Recess	2013	Feiwel & Friends
All Welcome Here	2020	Feiwel & Friends
A Pirate's Guide to Divorce	2022	Feiwel & Friends